10 Easy Tricks To Save You 20 Hours a Week

By Sophia McMeekin - 31 Mar 2015

We’re the ‘ain’t nobody got time for that’ generation. Our idea of a relaxing night in involves simultaneously texting, waxing, microwaving, and reading Who Weekly, and we know we’re not alone.

No time for the gym, no time to make lunch, no time to iron, no time to call mum… Every week it’s the same old story, and, to be honest, it’s not doing our career, body, or mental state any favours.

We’re in dire need of some time-saving tips, so we’ve teamed up with the time-saving legends at Youfoodz—the freshest food delivery service out, specialising in tasty nutritionally balanced meals that are never, ever frozen, and always ready to go when you need them—to bring you our guide to saving 20 hours a week. We call them Time Hacks, and they’re about to shake up your routine and streamline your life for the better

Put down the iPhone, hairdryer, and whatever else you’re doing and give us your undivided attention: Here are our top 10 tips for saving you 20 hours a week.

6:00am Wake Up Ready to Work Up a Sweat

It might sound like you’re moving into crazy #fitsposelfie territory, but sleeping in your sweats is a sure fire way to get your butt to the gym in the morning. Finding yourself in your gym gear will bring back all the good intentions from the night before, and you’ll be much more inclined to hit the tready. You can leave the runners off, though (we’re not monsters).

8:00am Get To Work Early (Not like, early-early, just 15 mins early)

It might sound counterintuitive, but spending more time at work now, means less time at work later. While no one likes to miss out on the goss’, office chat is sucking your useable work time like nothing else. Because there’s no easy way to avoid the watercooler chin wags without coming off like a surly Shirley, making the effort to get to work that bit earlier will help you avoid the chatterers before they hit their stride. These precious few moments before the hordes arrive will give you time to tackle those big jobs that need your full attention, leaving you ahead of the game the rest of the day.

9:15am Do Something Nice (For Once)

Studies have shown that doing one nice thing a day (helping a co-worker, calling your Mum, texting a friend to tell them they’re awesome) gives you an energy boost that will have you buzzing with vibes all day, and clears your mind so you can focus on big-picture problems.

We’re big fans of taking the time each day to thank a co-worker who helped you out the day before—it’s an instant mood booster, and before you know it that good karma will be coming back your way.

11:00am Avoid Death by Emails

Take a deep breath and say it with me…“I will only check my emails twice a day”.

We know, this sounds like insanity, but setting aside two concrete email sessions leaves the rest of your day free to do some actual work (crazy!!). If you’d rather die than not reply straight away, turn on your auto-responder and let them know when you’ll be getting back to them.

12:30pm Lunch Like You Mean It

We know it’s tempting to sit at your desk with a sad sandwich and your Twitter feed for company, but who are you kidding, you’re going to be chewing, not cogitating, so you might as well give your brain a break and take a short walk outside (you know outside, that place with the burning ball of gas in the sky and the trees and birds and stuff?). The fresh air—or better yet, a stroll with a friend—will give you a second wind that’ll help you power through the afternoon.

Hot tip: Save time on prep’ in the morning (and avoid that 2pm-vending machine raid when you inevitably forget to bring it with you) by pre-ordering your lunch for the week ahead on the weekend. Youfoodz let’s you order your lunch for the week, the month, or the year (they’re don’t do lock-in contracts so you can opt out whenever you like), and because the delicious meals have been prepared by a nutritionist, you know it’s good for you! Winning. Check out their lunch menu here.

3:30pm Ok, You Can Check Your Emails Again (see 11:00am)

Here’s a hot tip: Don’t read your emails twice. If you’re in the habit of reading your emails and replying later, chances are you’ll just end up re-reading them when you reply. Save time by not even looking at the horror show that is your inbox until you’re actually ready to tackle what’s inside.

5:00pm Don’t Check Out Before You Skip Out

If you’re tempted to skip of out of the office at 5:00pm with gay abandon, hold your horses. Taking five at 5pm to look over your agenda for the next day will not only quell any late-night stress attacks, but you’ll be able to see any holes in your schedule. Take a min to plan your MOST important to-dos for the next day, and aim to get them done before your first email-check session (see 11:00am).

Want double brownie points? Give your desk a quick clean before you dash—when you sit back down in the morning you’ll feel like an organisational superhero.

7:00pm Make Friends With Vino.

Yes, this is the best time-management article you’ve ever read. We say there’s nothing wrong with embracing your inner lush of an evening, within reason of course. A bevvie will kick-start your creative juices (essential for your next great idea), saving you on desk-bound brainstorming later (it’s a bit of a stretch, but hey, WINE). Plus, wine is full of antioxidants, yada yada. Just trust us.

7:20pm Save Time Cooking at Night, By Not Cooking at Night.

Yes, we’d all like to have time to cook a healthy and delicious meal every night. But we’ve got House of Cards to watch and Snapchats to reply to, so do the next best thing and jump on the Youfoodz bandwagon. Their dinner options are far and away better than anything we could ever come up with given half an hour and a half empty fridge—think Jamaican jerk chicken, enchiladas, sticky bbq pork ribs, lasagne… Sorry, we’re drooling. And because Youfoodz is never frozen, a quick warm up is all that’s standing between you and the healthy home-delivered dinner of your dreams.

We're chuffed to partner with Youfoodz to bring you our Time Hacks series—our cheeky guide helping you reclaim your life, one minute at a time. Our Time Hacks are researched and recommended by The Urban List, and delivered by Youfoodz—the fresh food delivery service saving you time for more important things. Find out what's on the menu this week!

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By Sophia McMeekin

Sophia is a Brisbane-loving food fan and long time Beyonce enthusiast. Since 2012 she's been a writer, editor, and professional eater for The Urban List Brisbane, where her love of punctuation and jam donuts comes together nicely.

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